back to school

ok, so i know i have been slack in the posting department as of the last few days but it is because we haven't been in school. we had the martin luther king holiday off on monday and then tuesday and wednesday we were off because of the semester change. so today, we are back. in full force. ready to kick some butt.
we have spent the last two days grading and planning and trying to gauge where we are with regard to our school improvement plan. in other words, busy, very busy. now the students are back with us and all the gnashing of teeth (jw speak) and complaints and soul searching between the teachers have taken a back seat to the needs of the kids. this is one of the neat things about this school. i work with a staff that is full of hardworking, caring people. we look at our ourselves, self assess, judge where we are and how we are going to get where we want to go. there is a lot of self-doubt and passion and general craziness as we strive to be better teachers in a better school. it is hard. constant reminders of where we want to be and the fact that we aren't there yet. that's hard. it can beat people down. especially when people are passionate. some days you feel like you'll never be good enough.
but when the kids walk back in the door, it is all about them. teachers teaching students, working with students, staying afterschool, taking kids home, guiding projects, offering words of advice, words of assistance, sometimes a kick in the butt. sometimes a smile and a pat on the back. it is wonderful to be in a place where every teacher really, really cares. and while that should be the case in every school every where, unfortunately it isn't.
so you take the good with the bad. would you rather be in a place where it is easier to teach and more laid back and not as intense? a place where it doesn't matter if every child gets it everyday? a place where some of your colleagues are just collecting paychecks?
or would you rather be in a place where every day teachers are striving to be better and trying to drag the kids with them? we are in the pursuit of perfection, not just for the kids in our classrooms but for ourselves as teachers and as a school.
in the long run, does the fate of the free world really hang in the balance? it might, or it might not...

Comments

geoff said…
"some days you feel like you'll never be good enough. but when the kids walk back in the door, it is all about them."

Amen. I agree with everything you said in this post. Yesterday was intense at times, but you're right...that's because we care and want to get it right. We're all different in a lot of ways, but the one thing we all have in common is that we're attempting to make our students successful.
January 22, 2009 at 2:09 PM
Izcalli Nava said…
I hope, when my son enters the school system, has teachers as caring and goal oriented as you and your colleagues. Keep up the good work.
January 22, 2009 at 2:28 PM
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